Hey, Porno Pete [new readers, see addendum below], whatcha doin?
AFTAH in the News: ABC uses homosexual activist’s mocking slogan, “Pray Away the Gay”
Well, no, the hate group Americans For Truth About Homosexuality wasn’t in the news. Pete seems to be trying to ride the proverbial coattails, here. Peter: We may have given you your special name, but that does not mean you get to come with us everywhere we go.
But yeah, “pray away the gay” has become shorthand for the abusive, hateful, damaging, thoroughly discredited practice known as reparative therapy. They could have always used “beating the pillow with a tennis racket…away the gay,” but Porno Pete’s friend Richard Cohen just isn’t a part of this story.
Folks, it sure didn’t take long for the liberal media to go into Christian-bashing mode against GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Watch this almost comically biased hit-piece by ABC’s Brian Ross — featuring the militantly anti-Christian homosexual organization Truth Wins Out.
We’re going to have to let our Christian writers and affiliates know that we are “militantly anti-Christian.” I’m sure they would like to know!
(TWO denies the reality that people can leave homosexuality behind; I call them “Focus on the Failures” because their nonsensical argument seems to be that since many practicing “gays” fail in their quest to change, transformation away from homosexuality is a myth.)
This is absolutely the first time you have ever called us “Focus on the Failures,” Pete. Why you would draw attention to the fact that most people who go through “ex-gay” programs come back more damaged than before, and still gay, is beyond me. [The others tend to make lots of ca$h by working for "ex-gay" companies, or they write books and, you know, make ca$h.]
Incredibly, ABC even went so far as to title its piece “Pray Away the Gay at Bachmann Clinic?” — recycling TWO founder Wayne Besen’s mocking and bigoted attack-slogan for the idea that people can overcome homosexual desires through faith in God.
“Incredibly.”
Shouldn’t it have occurred to Ross to sit down with and interview a SUCCESSFUL former homosexual like Janet Boynes…
Hmmmm, yeah, they should have pretended that there are two sides to every single story, I suppose.
Dinosaurs: prehistoric creatures from long ago or Heaven’s most vicious Muppets?! We report, you decide!
I don’t have much hope of changing ABC…
Pray away the ABC! [Pete seems to be saying...]
So all of this from hate group leader Porno Pete was a prelude to a piece by another bizarrely unhinged anti-gay activist, Cliff Kincaid, who is notable for defending Uganda’s genocidal anti-gay legislation. Let’s play with him a minute:
Once a greatly feared investigative reporter, Brian Ross has been reduced to recycling left-wing material from the homosexual lobby.
Translation: any reporting on gays that I don’t like is “recycled left-wing material.”
But the pathetic hit job he narrated on Monday’s ABC Nightline show on GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has backfired in a big way.
Not that I’ve seen.
The charge was that the Bachmann family counseling service engages in terrible things by teaching homosexuals how to leave their disease-ridden lifestyle.
Aside from the fact that the suggestion that homosexuality is inherently “disease-ridden” is a flat out lie, yes, the charge is that the Bachmann clinic uses discredited, disproven and harmful methods to try to de-gay people. This is quite a revelation in the Western world in the year 2012. It’s important to interpret the news through the lens of reality that exists, rather than the one Cliff Kincaid imagines to exist.
Ironically, however, he presented evidence that ex-homosexuals do in fact exist…
Nah, he showed Janet Boynes, who is basically a charlatan selling a book and has no actual “success stories” to present.
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth says the phrase, “pray away the gay,” is intended to ridicule Christians and comes directly from homosexual activist Wayne Besen’s group, Truth Wins Out. LaBarbera asks, “Why are the major media repeating these hateful attack slogans by radical gay activists?”
He’s baaaaaaack.
He explains, “We don’t mock the idea of leaving drug addiction or alcoholism with God’s help. Why is it acceptable to mock faith in God to overcome unwanted behaviors like homosexuality in their lives?”
No one is mocking anything. We’re simply shining a light on the lie of reparative therapy. Grown-up mental health and medical associations agree that drug addiction and alcoholism are problems in need of solutions. They also agree that homosexuality is not a problem, that it is perfectly normal. The fact that somebody believes an unscientific book says otherwise is really not relevant to our discussion, here at the grown-up table.
To make matters worse, the ABC hit piece was largely recycled leftist material. Ross borrowed heavily from Truth Wins Out (TWO) and an article in The Nation magazine, in order to concoct the shaky story.
In this case, he is using the term “recycled” to refer to the original print versions of the story, which came out in the days just before the television report. Far from being “recycled,” any journalism student could explain to Cliff and Peter that Brian Ross’s report is known as “breaking a story on television.”
The apparently shocking advice to the undercover homosexual operative was that heterosexuality is natural and homosexuality is not. This is what passes for “investigative journalism” these days.
Yep, Cliff, it’s a significant story because the idea that “heterosexuality is natural and homosexuality is not” is a disproven lie. This is not complicated stuff…
Anyway, the rest of Cliff’s piece is a random non sequitur, and a completely undeveloped one at that, about how Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi is mean. Cliff kinda veers off the road sometimes when it comes to his train of thought in print.
This is just the response from a couple of hate group leaders to the Bachmann clinic story. Responses from other detractors have been pretty weak as well. More on that in a minute.
ADDENDUM: If you are new to our organization, a little back story is in order. Peter LaBarbera is the leader of the SPLC-certified hate group called Americans for Truth About Homosexuality [AFTAH]. Wayne Besen dubbed him “Porno Pete” a few years back on account of his strange affinity for either himself infiltrating [or sending "reporters" into] fetish sex events which cater to people of varying sexual orientations, but which are nonetheless outside of the mainstream of American sexual activity, gay or straight. While people who are comfortable in their own skin but who may not be particularly interested in such fetish events may be content to shrug their shoulders and say “eh, different strokes for different folks!” and go about the chores of their daily lives, Pete has always set himself apart by posting pornographic pictures on his hate group’s blog [americans for truth dot com], and then using said images in an effort to broadbrush all gay Americans as sick perverts. Most casual observers find this to be extremely bizarre behavior. This strategy is of course as disingenuous as it is stupid, and many Religious Right leaders have privately told gay activists [most notably Jeremy at Good As You] that they are very embarrassed by his actions, as they hurt the anti-gay movement by making them look sensationalistic, dishonest, pathetic and approximately as bigoted as a common KKK initiate. While many on the anti-gay side of the fence may indeed have loving and honest motives, but yet are sadly and terribly misinformed on issues of science, human sexuality and reality, Peter has always revealed himself a little bit too much by also being unable to report on gay human beings without using sophomoric anti-gay slurs and digs which are only funny to the quickly dwindling/dying-off segment of the population which still agrees with him. He will wax melodramatic, but not really poetic, on a regular basis about how our use of the term “Porno Pete” proves that we are the REAL hate group here, but we rest secure in the knowledge that A., We don’t lie and B., the causes we fight for actually help people, as opposed to raising the national gay teen depression and suicide rate, which is far too often the end result of the activities of the Religious Right in this nation.
Marcus Bachmann needs to just come out. He’s obviously a gay man.
DL Foster is going off on this too.
Wayne your tireless reporting is appreciated. I could spend all day on here following your coverage of these situations. Knowing that you’re doing this work makes me feel like I can rest easier having supported your effort by donation. P.S. I love the T-Shirt. It gets a lot of attention in public!
How is “Pray away the gay” mocking? It’s pretty much the only thing “ex-gay” therapy has to offer.
They hate the term “Pray Away the Gay” because it accurately summarizes what they do.
Well, Elsa, prayer doesn’t work to change sexual orientation. Therefore, those who practice such backward a*s psychological voodoo are essentially pickpocketing vulnerable and desperate clients and enriching themselves at the client’s expense.
Finally, we all heard the barbarian statement. You look rather foolish spinning it and are really embarrassing yourself.
Elsa,
You are the liar. Show us the proof of 1000s converted. I’d settle for proof of 500. As for Bachmann check the link to the article I posted in the other thread.
I have faith in God and guess what? I’m still gay. My acceptance of Jesus as my Savior moved me more and more toward an acceptance of my gayness. My experience is not unique. Thousands and thousands of gay people of faith are still gay. Funny that God moves us all in the same direction–toward wholeness and happiness with the way He created us. Anti-gay activist Porno Pete needs to acknowledge that accepting Jesus does not automatically turn anyone into a heterosexual.
Sadly, those who have NO homosexual inclinations are trying to judge those who do. Again, as always, the subjective experience of the man or woman is discounted entirely, by those whose understanding of the subject matter is only in the objective, and only of the tiniest bit of true knowledge of what it feels like to have the attractions, IF ANY [which I would sincerely call into serious question].
Leave the REAL truth to those who have had to put up with the b.s. of the so-called “Christian” churches and their spewing forth of vicious hatred and condemnation. Those who do not have these issues have NOTHING to say and NOTHING they can prove. Their words, and the rhetoric that they represent, only serve their own agendas.
More sadly still, they will never even “hear” this message, nor acknowledge its existence.
Elsa, it’s almost amusing how people like you require an unattainable level of empirical evidence for things such as innate homosexuality, evolution, climate change, Obama’s birthplace, and Marcus Bachmann’s context when talking about “barbarians,” while requiring no empirical evidence to support things such as religious beliefs, and the belief that gays can change to straight. For the former, as more evidence accumulates, you simply raise the bar. For the latter, as the lack of evidence is exposed, you simply lower the bar.
Ergo, the annoying notion of evidenceconveniently becomes an irrelevant triviality in your little reality-challenged world
Elsa, where are all these “ex-gays” you claim exist? Why can you child-murdering bigots give a consistant number? Why can you child-murdering bigots never name any “ex-gays” that aren’t being paid to bring in more? Why is even your definition of “change” constantly being changed? No matter how much you insist otherwise, you child-murdering bigots have never proven that “people can change” while our side has provide plenty of proof that they can’t.
And we’ve all seen the whole video and transcript of Marcus Bachmann’s barbarian comment. You’re just making yourself look foolish by trying to claim that we’re taking him out of context.
Nice try elsa. The Spitzer “study” was already refuted on this site and many others.
Elsa even if you showed me one “ex-gay” person who didn’t attempt to change their orientation because of their faith or because of our heterosexist society your argument would still be weak.
People of science know that sexual/affectional orientation is hard wired and immutable; but just for the sake of argument, let’s *pretend* that it is a choice and could be altered. That *choice* would still be the right of the individual and no one else’s business. Elsa and her pack of predatory “ex-gay” hyenas would still be violating human rights, and unjustly persecuting people for something that would be NONE of her/their business. Even IF it WERE a choice (WHICH IT ISN’T), adults would still have the right to love and have sex with whomever they choose without interference or legally sanctioned discrimination.
Elsa/evil Becky/omar said “If prayer works, what’s the problem?”.
Prayer doesn’t work and attempts to change orientation are harmful to gays mental health.
Elsa/evil becky/omar said “Wayne, why are you so concerned what other people do?”.
We are all concerned about people being harmed which is all attempts to change orientation do.
Elsa/evil becky/Omar said “The truth is, you need SSA to be innate and unchanging to reach your political goals. Nothing short of that will do. So all of the “ex-gays” out there are hurting your cause.”.
False! People are given equal rights and protected from discrimination on the basis of religion which is a choice. It would be no different if gayness were a choice which it is not in any case.
Elsa/Evil Becky/Omar said “People can change. Big deal. Let them.”
False! Every major mental heatlh and medical organization agrees efforts to change orientation are ineffective and potentially harmful. Those who positively accept their orientation are better adjusted and happier than those who are not. It is evil to con gays into a lifetime of loneliness and unhappiness.
Elsa/Evil Becky/Omar said “Also, you are currently parroting two falsehoods: 1) “barbarians” is a reference to kids not gays (and not even gay kids). Bachmann is saying that kids need education and discipline.”.
False! Bachman is asked about a gay teenager and says “Barbarians need to be educated”. He called gay teenagers barbarians, there is no room for debate.
Elsa/evil Becky/Omar said “2) Bachmann does not deny counseling unwanted SSA. The “that’s a false statement” is out of context and immediately followed by a confirmation of counseling unwanted SSA.”.
Wrong! The context was a statement made by a newspaper that his clinic tries to change gays into heterosexals. Bachman said that was a false statment and what he said after in no way said he was trying to change gays into heterosexuals.
Elsa/evil Becky/Omar said “I challenge you, Wayne, to listen to the whole audio and stick with your assertion that he was referring to homosexuals, not adolescents. It makes no sense that homosexuals need education and discipline but all every sense that ALL adolescents need it.”.
The audio is clear and unequivocal. Bachman was asked about a gay teenager and said “Barbarians need to be educated. Now go ahead and continue to show what a lying fool you are by denying that.
Elsa/evil Becky/Omar said “Tim W, I’ve read that whole piece several times and still have not found what statement Bachmann is calling false. But what I DID read in the article is that Bachmann confirms that his clinic will talk to patients about unwanted homosexual attractions.”.
You’re lying, its well documented that Bachman was asked about a newspaper statment that said his clinic tries to change gays into heterosexuals and Bachmann said “That is a false statement”. Bachman’s subsequent statments said nothing about counseling gays to become heterosexuals.
Elsa/ Evil Becky said “Is that all you have? We can start with Spitzer’s 200. But really, what’s the point?”.
LOL, I can’t believe you were dumb enough to bring that up and think it helps your case! It took Spitzer several months to find 200 merely claiming to have changed and no one who failed to change was used in the study. The best Narth could supply was 46 “success” cases to the study and that came from a sample of as many as 250,000 clients. Taking a figure of 100,000 that represents a “success” rate of .04%. And of those “successes” none were actually tested for same sex attractions Spitzer took their word for it in phone interviews, when asked why he hadn’t tested them with penile plethymographs he said “Oh, they’d never go for that” – BECAUSE THEY WERE LYING.
Spitzer said himself about his study that he believed successful changes in orientation were very rare.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_exod1.htm
Elsa/evil Becky/Omar said “People can change. Let them.”
False! Every major mental heatlh and medical organization agrees efforts to change orientation are ineffective and potentially harmful. Those who positively accept their orientation are better adjusted and happier than those who are not. It is evil to con gays into a lifetime of loneliness and unhappiness.
It’s kina sweet in a way, Poor Pete keeps setting them up and Wayne and Evan keep knocking them down.
[...] Hate Group Leaders So Upset About Marcus Bachmann Story 07/14/2011 — Suzan From Truth Wins Out: http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2011/07/17608/ [...]
Elsa/evil Becky/Omar!
Sounds like gender confusion to me! ROFLMAO!
Nice work Priya Lynn!
Tony – ; )
It never ceases to amaze how the pseudo-psychologists in the Christian world constantly fail to distinguish between “homosexuality” (the sexual orientation) and behavior (which ALL people do). The sexual orientation can’t be changed. I will only believe that when some brave hetero submits to conversion and completely becomes gay (verified by clinical testing of brain and penile responses to gay/str8 stimuli). It won’t happen because it isn’t possible – not through the “prayer/faith” method or any other. Those charlatans who claim those “thousands” of success stories have never brought even one “successful” convert to a certified sex clinic to verify his “change”. Why? Because all those successes aren’t that at all. Their orientations haven’t been altered in the least. They are simply playing a hetero role – ACTING. The pressure from themselves and their peers is so great that all will claim success by playing at being straight. Their core orientation will never change. It’s one fact of those facts of life that these religious devotees can’t and won’t accept, so the pretense continues.
elsa, “People can change. Let them.” Repeating this bumper sticker over and over doesn’t make it true. And since you’ve claimed to know of thousands of people who have “changed” you should list them. And none of them can be your multiple names.
Some people are stupid and delusional. Let them be.
;-)
I think Elsa should pray herself/hisself/itself gay and undergo clinical testing to prove his/her/it’s gayness. What about it Elsa/evil Becky/Omar, gender confused enity? You ready to prove without a doubt your beliefs? Here is your big chance! Show us all! You go girl, boy, it!
I mean, you can always just pray yourself back straight…right?
“People are given equal rights and protected from discrimination on the basis of religion which is a choice. It would be no different if gayness were a choice which it is not in any case.” FACT!!!
Thank you for admitting that you don’t have any examples Elsa.
Elsa is banned. She is an admitted liar. Her comments will be removed. Amazing how these supposed moralists lie so easily for the lord.
Wayne, why do you need to censor? I have put forth good faith, reasonable arguments, much more so than others on the forums.
Why don’t you actually respond to the arguments?
1) Bachmann does not deny counseling unwanted same sexx attractions.
2) Bachmann’s barbarians comment referred to kids in general.
3) The APA now allows therapists to assist religious patients with unwanted same sex attractions.
4) It remains unknown how much genes, biology and environment play in the development of homosexual attractions.
5) Humans are heterosexual creatures.
There’s nothing reasonable about what you’ve said.
1) Bachmann lied through his teeth when he was asked if he performed reperative therapy.
2) Bachmann’s comments specifically referred to gay kids.
3) The APA allows therepists to counsel people on how to reconcile their sexuality with their religion. They do not allow therapists to attempt to change someone’s orientation like Bachmann attempts to.
4) Every scientist without an agenda agrees that the factors that cause homosexuality are beyond anyone’s control.
5) Humans are sexual creatures. Most are hetero. Some are homo or bi. And insisting otherwise is not going to change that.
Who’s paying you to troll here? Because there is no way you’re stupid enough to believe your lies are fooing anyone.
Tom/elsa/evil becky/Omar, a moral person who’s a guest in someone’s house will leave when told to do so. Like home invasion criminal you force you way into where you’re not wanted because you are completely devoid of morals. Like the slimball you are you don’t give a s**t how many gay people committ suicide due to “reparitive” “therapy”, or how many people live lonely lives of despair, or how many people enter into doomed marriages destroying the lives of decieved spouses and the children they create. You don’t give a s**t what the cost is because any price is well worth it to you to encourage a handful of people to think gays don’t deserve equal rights. You’ll destroy lives, murder and then like the lying sack of s**t you are deny that you’ve caused any harm. f**k you you lying evil scumbag.
C.C., when did you choose to be straight? How are you being denied the right to shun us? How are we forcing our values on society? Why should we care that you don’t like us? Why should we care that you don’t want to be us since you never can be? Why should we care that you don’t want your children to be like us when it’s completely out of your control whether they are or aren’t? Be specific.
And it’s the equal protection clause’s complete lack of any variation of the words “unless you’re gay” that gives us the right to demand the equal protection we’re already promised.
Chief said “you dont care about my rights to shun you, why should I care about your concerns ?, why do you gays feel the need to force your values on the majority of society ?”.
Do you think your right to shun us is unlimited? Do you think have a right to kill us, for example?
Its hilarious that you claim gays are forcing their values on you when its the other way around. No one is denying you the right to an opposite sex marriage, to be hired or rented to solely on the basis of your ability to be a good employee or tenantm no one is denying you the right to adopt children or to serve openly in the army. It is bigots like YOU who are denying gays the right to marry the partner of your choice, the right to be employed or rented to solely on the basis of our ability to do the job or be a good tenant. It is bigots like YOU who are denying gays the right to adopt. IT IS ENTIRELY BIGOTS LIKE YOU WHO ARE FORCING THEIR “VALUES” ON GAYS. Gays are leaving YOU TO BE FREE TO DO AS YOU CHOOSE and yet somehow in your twisted mind if you aren’t allowed to kill gays that’s an infringment on your freedom and gays forcing their values on you. You’re sick and pathetic.
Chief said “what gives you gays the right to demand anything ?”.
The same things that give you the right to demand anything.
At Elsa and other dissenters:
Those in the ex gay industry compare and conflate ONLY homosexuality, with substance addiction.
That alone is deliberately false and misleading. Drugs lead to ACUTE IMPAIRMENT and discernible physical damage on EVERY level. There is also acute withdrawal when that substance intake ceases. Anyone that’s lived with or knows an addict, KNOWS that there is emotional impairment that can make them violent, completely uninhibited and dysfunctional in personal interactions.
And unless something egregious happens on the job, or an addict ABUSES someone, substance addicts are not DISCRIMINATED against because of it. Their abuses are responded to and that’s all.
Gay people are denied the basic access to those things that SUSTAIN a person’s health and welfare, ONLY because they are gay. An actual sex life doesn’t have to be in evidence to incur abuses against THEM. Gay people don’t have to abuse anyone to be abused themselves and isolated from the benefit of social support.
There IS an essential difference between NORMAL behavior,and dangerous behavior.
Being gay and engaging in safe and committed ss sex IS normal and just as healthy as it is for hetero people. And mental and emotional competence is evident as well. It’s a DIFFERENT orientation, it bears NO resemblance to addiction, mental disturbance or threatening behavior at all.
And anyone claiming clinical or pastoral credentials damn well should know the difference.
And above all, wouldn’t use stereotyping or templates that don’t apply in the process of their ‘work’.
Nor would they support civil and public discrimination either.
But ALL ex gay members do all of this. Which is what makes them so dangerous.
If an anorexic girl came to someone claiming professional expertise who ALSO believed that curvaceous bodies were unwanted and less attractive, despite medical professionals not supporting that view.
A girl could look around her and see the thin females are the most glamorous, well paid, successful and accepted. THIS would be powerful incentive for her to starve herself to death, wouldn’t it?
And lo and behold, girls especially, DO DIE for trying to conform to unnecessary and unrealistic standards of beauty.
Well that’s what the ex gay industry does.
There ARE no positive outcomes that can prove they are in this for anyone but themselves if they have to EXPLOIT and SUPPORT those factors that make being gay extremely difficult, keeping gay youngsters as starved and weakened as an anorexic would be.